


Jellicle Cats Develop Slowly

by Northflower



Category: Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Genre: Coming of Age, F/M, Mild Sexual Content, Puberty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 17:15:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21201242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Northflower/pseuds/Northflower
Summary: The whispers of her fellow cats still echoed in the junkyard as Victoria was overcome with what felt like flowing water and sounded like the loudest of birds. With no control of herself she moved erratically, in a body that had previously been hers but felt so foreign now.





	Jellicle Cats Develop Slowly

The whispers of her fellow cats still echoed in the junkyard as Victoria was overcome with what felt like flowing water and sounded like the loudest of birds. With no control of herself she moved erratically, in a body that had previously been hers but felt so foreign now.

Her movements slowed down and became like water that was rushing against rocks, being thrown around unlike how it had been before, quiet and with plenty of room to move around. It was like there had been a great rain, and the narrow river was now flooded. There was no precision in how the water flowed. The white cat found that everything had a little too much strength to it, so she moved in tiny jerks rather than one smooth motion.

But this was such an important night, her first time participating in the Jellicle ball dance, and despite how lost she now felt, she couldn’t have let it go to waste. So, she did her best to ignore the feeling.

Except that it didn’t quite work out. Victoria had seen the Rum Tum Tugger before, and had admired the power he held and how the way he moved was strong yet smooth. Like a boulder. Tonight, watching him was entirely different. It felt strange and invasive. Almost uncomfortable, but yet nice at the same time. Like the water had turned into a pleasant flame in the fireplace, too hot to touch but warm and good at a distance.

She kept getting overcome with the need to move in strange ways. It was getting smoother now, like the riverbank had been washed away and the space to move was wider now, allowing a flow that was more free. She was almost fearful as she accidentally danced into the clearing right as Old Deutoronomy, Munkustrap and her brother were looking out for Macavity. Somehow, the fear that had been struck into her from the mention of the Mystery Cat hadn’t felt the same either. It made her want to spin, so she did. It felt embarrassing, and if it hadn’t been for the Jellicle leader’s approving gaze she’d had thought that there was something wrong with the way she was behaving.

The dance, however, went swimmingly. It felt entirely natural, and suddenly it wasn’t just her who was moving in strange ways. It was like the pouring rain that had suddenly struck her body had struck everyone else too. It was weird, but at the same time it was exciting, but at the same it felt so natural that it didn’t feel like anything at all. The music was building up until she could have sworn all the lights flashed red and Bombalurina entered the clearing. She was always moving in the way she was, rhythmically, but not like water dripping from a pipe, more like strikes of thunder. This time, that was different too. Victoria wished that she also knew how to move like that, but it felt embarrassing to even think about at the same time.

When she was sure the ball had concluded, everyone started to settle down with their partners. She was confused and afraid. She’d been able to go with the flow so well up until now. She didn’t have a partner, and she didn’t know what they were doing. She almost didn’t notice Plato approach, but when her newfound partner touched her, she felt as though she was losing control over herself. It scared her, she was sure the feeling she’d felt earlier was coming back and now the whole night would be ruined. But instead, the feeling and her partner guided her. Their strange movements became only one dance, and their bodies fused together as the lights went out.

In time, the river would widen more, and the water would be able to move freely with nothing stopping it. There would still be occasional floods. But those were the kinds of things every young Jellicle experienced. Victoria might have been the only one of her age that year, but all the older cats had been where she was before, and few had forgotten the feeling of the water hitting the rocks. They understood.


End file.
